


Decisions and Choices

by nightelfcrawler



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: AU, Damn you Rian Johnson for ruining it, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Jedi Rey, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Movie: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, ben solo redemption, what should have happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 05:46:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13024518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightelfcrawler/pseuds/nightelfcrawler
Summary: After watching the Last Jedi premiere, I am left wanting. Seriously wanting. Angry and let down.So this is how I envision it *should* have gone.Obvious, spoilers ahead, DO NOT READ if you do not wish to be majorly spoiled for the ending of the Last Jedi.





	Decisions and Choices

“Ben!”

That name. The name that had elicited such a complicated stare from those deep brown eyes while in the elevator.

He barely reacted to it now.

Rey had seen many things while scouring the Jakku desert. Once, she had run across a man sprawled in the heat of the sands, scorched and blinded by the sun. The man was beyond help, and she knew it, yet he seemed to not understand his predicament. The look of dazed detachment, of a man disconnected from reality had haunted her for a very long time.

It was the gaze of a man lost.

That was the gaze that she saw written all over Ben Solo’s face.

This moment…. This moment was his.

But he couldn’t be trusted with it. Not on his own. Because on his own hadn’t gotten him here.

Her footsteps slowly took her towards him, until her hand lightly brushed his arm. Startled, he jolted, and those deep brown eyes tore from the smouldering remains of his master’s corpse, meeting hers, burning with that conflict and confusion that she had so powerfully felt swelling within him.

“Don’t let the past die… Let your mistakes become your path to a greater future. Become who you were always meant to be.”

His words, echoed back at him from a reflection. Just like her vision. A reflection of herself.

But different. Opposite.

Ben Solo had been betrayed, not trusted, not nurtured. His own master had turned on him, not having faith in him, and in so doing created the monster she had seen. But the monster was not free. He was still caged within the confines of the man who had been crushed in his creation.

And that man was standing before her now.

Her hand lifted, and held out to him. “Come with me.” She urged softly, her eyes steady. “Together, we can rebuild hope. Side by side.”

It was a thin fragile thread between them, stretched so thin in that moment. She could see a decision weighing on him, tugging him closer to the darkness. But she had seen his future. He had turned on his master. And he would not fall again.

She knew he wasn’t so sure. She knew his own self-doubts and the darkness that called to him festered and would not be squashed so easily. It was there even now, a shadow across his face, written in his eyes. He could fall so easily, all it would take was a push.

But he had turned his back on it. And she would not let him fail now.

His eyes slowly fell to her hand as she held it out towards him, shaking with the emotion that was vibrating between them, the connection Snoke claimed to have created between them a live-wire that had not stopped even upon his death.

Slowly his eyes lifted to hers, and held.

She felt warmth close around her hand as his encompassed it, and closed. That thin thread, stretched so tight between them, bloomed into a rope that strung them together in that moment, more solid than ever before.

His hand abruptly tightened, his whole body stiffening. “Get down!”

She barely felt it as he drove her to the floor in one sudden swift movement, and in that moment, the entire world exploded into brilliant light around them.

She was fairly certain that the scream coming from her mouth was audible: she couldn’t hear it, however. The world around them was being torn apart in a violent maelstrom of power out of control. Yet, the steady warm weight of Ben’s body over hers reminded her that she was not alone.

Neither was he.

As swiftly as it passed, it was over. And fire erupted everywhere.

Rey lifted her head, eyes wide as she stared around. The alarms were screaming, and the chamber still blazed around them, the bodies of the Praetorian guards littering the deck like blood speckled on a mirror.

“Are you alright?” Rey’s eyes darted up to the pair of brown staring down at her, wide and vulnerable as ever before.

It was all she could do to bring herself to nod quickly. “Yeah.”

Ben rolled over onto his side, and pushed himself up to a kneeling position, his eyes darting wildly around the chaos, not sure where to focus on.

Rey followed suit, pushing herself to her feet as he did the same. “We need to go.” She had no idea what that light had been, but the violent shuddering of the ship around them meant nothing good. “Now.” She turned her gaze towards him, jaw set, as if to say ‘you’d better not say no’.

His eyes met hers, wavering and uncertain, but after a moment, slowly his head dipped in agreement.

“Come on.” She bent down and scooped up his lightsaber, still on the deck by his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, his hand lifted and his uncle’s saber flew into his hand from where it lay on Snoke’s armrest. His eyes darted down to it for a moment, then he held it out to her.

Her hand wrapped around the end, as in return, she placed his saber in his own.

Nothing more needed to be said.

She was fairly certain she hadn’t told him *how* she planned on getting off of this ship. Nonetheless, he didn’t question her as together they ran to the lift and fled through the corridors. No one paid them so much as a second glance, as the chaos around them took precedence to everyone’s survival instinct. Nonetheless, when she stopped abruptly, and did an about-face, heading towards a hangar that was virtually consumed in flames, she did feel a burst of his thoughts, confusion and hesitation.

A glance back at him with a firm look on her face told him enough. Trust me.

His eyes met hers, and in that moment, she didn’t have to hear his answer. She felt it.

He did.

Sudden lights blinded them momentarily, and she lifted her hand, blinking to disperse the dots of black that assaulted her vision, before the blinding lights of the Falcon shifted, revealing the blocky shape of the ship, and it’s yawning ramp open and waiting.

Rey didn’t hesitate, she took a running jump and landed on the ramp, then turned.

And froze.

Ben was not behind her. Instead, he was standing there, staring at the ship with the same look on his face that he’d worn in Snoke’s throne room: torn.

“No.” His eyes snapped up to her at the sudden word, as she stepped forward, grabbing the end of the ramp awning, and leaning forward, hand out. “Get on. Now.”

For a moment, she swore she saw something else flash across his face. It wasn’t anger, it wasn’t resentment…. For a moment she didn’t have a word to put to it, as it was utterly an unfamiliar look to his face. But then, he moved and in one swift jump, was next to her on the ramp, staring down at her with those deep brown eyes.

His mother’s eyes.

And his father’s smirk of amusement.

It brought tears to her eyes in a heartbeat, pride soaring in her heart.

Luke had thought it wasn’t possible.

Luke was wrong.

A roar of impatience reached her ears, and the moment was dispelled. The ship violently jolted to one side, and both of them craned their necks at Chewbacca’s command.

“I’ll go.” Rey said quickly, glancing back to him. It was likely *not* the wisest idea to present himself to his father’s best friend just yet. If Chewie hadn’t already seen him with her, which she desperately hoped he had since that would avoid a *very* awkward conversation.

“Guns.” He agreed grimly, without question. They were, after all, still in the thick of things. Right now, focusing on less feeling was going to be the only way to make it through this in one piece until they both could come to grasp with what they had done.

Slipping into the pilot’s seat, Rey grimaced as she gently picked a Porg up and set it down. Damn things were too cute to harm, yet they would destroy the ship if they were allowed. “Really?” she asked, glancing at Chewie as he gunned the engines towards Crait. “I thought you said they tasted good?”

The grimace written over the wookiee’s face said everything she needed to know.

Yeah, he wasn’t going to live that one down for a while.

She couldn’t hide the grin that was plastered over her face as she strapped in.

“By the way….”

Chewie growled, and his eyes shifted over to stare at her, piercing and intense.

“Oh. So you know.”

Of course he knew.

“Come on, we need to get to the planet.” She said, grabbing the yolk. “We don’t have much of a head start.”

If there was one thing that could be said about their arrival, it was that it was a much-needed break. Rey had to admit, flying the Falcon was becoming second nature. And as good as Chewie was, the ship felt alive under her hands as she twisted and turned her way through the crystalline formations on the underbelly of the planet’s surface.

And it was even more of a blessing to be able to focus on *just* flying. Because every shot made from the gun turrets found their mark with dangerous accuracy. She didn’t need a headset to communicate what she needed, their connection was alive and raw, and her thoughts merged with his as they allowed it to bloom, working together wordlessly.

It was only when she saw the oncoming landing forces that she balked.

 _“Don’t.”_ The words formed in her mind unbidden, and she latched on to them, granting Ben her full attention. _“We don’t need to fight them. We can’t win this.”_

Anger bloomed in her mind. _“After all we’ve just done, you’re telling me that it’s hopeless?”_

_“That’s not what I said.”_

She blinked, and suddenly became aware of his direction of thinking. _“I’m on it.”_

She cranked the yolk hard to the right, doing a sharp about face and gunning the engine. At Chewie’s inquiry, she set her lips tightly. “Trust me. We know what we’re doing.”

The stare the wookiee gave her was definitely something that made her skin crawl. She had the sudden impression it might be wise to not mention certain things in certain company.

_“The Force will always frighten those who do not understand it.”_

She couldn’t say she disagreed.

She found the ridge without much difficulty, and set the ship down, her heart hammering in her chest as she glanced to her co-pilot. “Wait here, get ready to go.”

Chewie didn’t argue.

He was waiting by the ramp controls, his face somber, his eyes anything but.

That quiet silence between them held for a moment, their eyes saying so much more than words ever could. “She’ll want to see you.”

“I know.”

It was the first time she saw yearning in his eyes. His mother. He had said he didn’t hate his father. Coming from the mouth of a murderer, it seemed a strange thing. But yet, from the twisted darkness that had consumed him, she understood it.

Kill what you love.

Love was weakness.

Kylo Ren had to kill Han Solo for that weakness to be eliminated. It made perfect sense in the logic of things.

The application however…

Her hand lightly rested on his arm, and he started slightly, his eyes holding hers, that strange tug in her heart only amplifying as their gazes held. “This is right. I feel it. You do too.”

If Finn could do it, so could he.

His gaze dropped to her hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, the steady weight of his own joined it.

The cave exit had been blocked. One glance told her that. The second told her….It was a lot of rocks.

A swell of amusement behind her caused Rey to glare back at the shadow standing at the top of the ramp, watching.

 _“Laugh it up, oh dark one.”_ She thought at him. Her annoyance only grew as a ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips.

She turned away, huffing. “Rocks. Why did it have to be rocks.”

She reached one hand out, and took a deep breath, concentrating. As Luke had taught her. Feel. Feel the Force. Feel that power within her.

Everything fell away, and she felt.

Behind her, a pair of brown eyes watched, unblinking, entranced.

“She’s something, isn’t she?”

His eyes snapped away from Rey’s concentrating form, and found probably the least welcome person he desired to converse with at this moment.

So of course it was him.

“Luke.”

“Kid.” Skywalker’s lips twitched slightly, his beard darker than Ben thought it might be, but his eyes the same clear blue as ever. “I see once again, an apprentice managed to prove me wrong.”

Ben’s eyes widened then abruptly narrowed, his fist tightening at his side with a creak of leather. “Is that what you’re here to do? Gloat?”

“No.”

The hard expression left Ben’s face, as it was replaced with a puzzled furrow of his brow, staring at the image of his uncle, suddenly seeming to clue in to a critical detail. “You’re not really here.”

“What gave it away? The beard? It’s the beard, right?” Luke reached up and stroked it lightly. “I never was a fan of them. But one can’t grow into a distinguished jedi master without one, I suppose.”

“You were never distinguished.”

“Well… at least we agree on that.”

An uncomfortable silence held between uncle and nephew, as Ben regarded Luke warily, his eyes flicking up and down as if he wasn’t sure where to focus his attention on, for those knowing blue eyes were eerily unsettling.

“I was wrong.”

Well, so much for avoiding those eyes. Ben glanced at Luke, tensing where he stood.

“I feared the unknown.” Luke continued quietly. “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” His brow drew together, while those bright blue eyes held his nephew’s, seeing nothing but Leia reflected back at him. “It was my fear that brought about your anger and hate. And as a result we both suffered. I was wrong. I thought in my ignorance, that I could right the wrongs that had been wrought before me, and in the process, I just started the cycle all over again.”

Ben’s gaze dropped, staring fixedly on the wall, his jaw clenching.

“I was wrong.” Luke repeated softly. “And for that, I’m sorry, Ben. Rey told me….” he smiled faintly. “...well… she said something that I had to think about until I understood it. And I realized that she was right… but she was also wrong.” His gaze held with his nephew’s, the emotion crackling there intense. “I failed you. I betrayed you in a moment of weakness. Because I, like any other, am no legend.” He smiled faintly. “I’m just a man. And I made mistakes. So did you.”

Ben’s jaw flexed, his eyes stinging as he continued to stare, aware that time around him had slowed, that his gaze was fixated on the singular point next to him which was either in his mind, or perhaps not… but it was as real as the bulkhead his fist rested against. “I know….” He murmured, his voice unsteady. “....some things there are no coming back from.”

“Perhaps not. But you can forge new paths.” Luke replied softly. His hand reached out, resting lightly over his nephew’s shoulder, though there was no weight to it. “Your actions will always stay with you. As will mine. We must live with our demons. We must accept them to move on. Whether we are ready to, or not… what we do with our path is reflective of who we are in the end. Rey helped you where I couldn’t.” Luke smiled quietly. “You feel it. I know you do. Give in to that feeling. That will be the one thing that makes you stronger. Not your power, not your control… Your choice to choose your own destiny, rather than allow others to pick it for you. You are the master of your own fate, Ben… always remember that.”

Slowly, Ben’s eyes flicked over to Rey, watching her quietly as her hand outstretched towards the rocks. “My own fate…” he murmured softly, as he felt his uncle’s presence slip away from him like sand through his fingers.

His fate. His destiny.

Snoke had told him a lot about such things. He had promised greatness, a lure that had called to him. Power, recognition, respect. Such things he had been lacking all his life, ripped away from him in a moment of betrayal.

Betrayal by whom, though?

He had long suspected Snoke had more in mind than just shaping him to become his right hand. The mysterious First Order ruler had few allies, an entire army, and no confidants, even in his closest military advisors.

Not that it mattered now.

Hux would take over, of course. He was, after all, the next natural line of succession. And Hux trusted nobody. Not even his allies.

And he knew Hux better than anyone else left alive.

His gaze focused back on Rey, watching as his focus zeroed in on the tug of the Force that pulled him to her, even now.

Perhaps it had been his master who had tied them together, based on his own weakness nonetheless… Perhaps it had been a way to manipulate him, the pawn to his plans… the desire to kill Skywalker. He still didn’t know *why* Snoke had sought that through him. He had tried once… which had brought Ben Solo to his grasp as Kylo Ren. But Snoke had underestimated the tenacity of the one he’d bound his apprentices life to.

Perhaps he had been lying, however. After all, he was gone, and the bond persisted.

Rey. Rey was such an enigma. Such a novelty. So unique and utterly… Rey.

Destiny be damned.

He made his choice.

“You’re overthinking it.”

He could feel her indignation from here, even as her fingers twitched, outstretched towards the piles of rocks before her. “Not helping.”

Solid footsteps sounded behind her, and a soft breath of warmth against her neck as she felt his presence sweep over her, the same time his hand lightly grasped her wrist, guiding, supporting as he drew closer. “Just…”

“...feel.” she continued softly. “Yeah, I know.”

His lips twitched, but he said nothing. Instead, his fingers spread between hers, weaving among them, black-glove intertwined with bare skin, fingers open and stretched towards the rocks.

He didn’t help her. Yet, he did. It wasn’t his power that stretched out and touched the pile of boulders, but he was there nonetheless, as steady as a rock, beside her.

The boulders parted smoothly, as if they were mere pebbles.

The euphoria and wonder that flooded through her was enough to make her dark shadow smile quietly, approval gleaming through their unspoken connection.

“The Force.” She whispered.

“The Force.” He agreed, his hand lightly relaxing against hers, before dropping softly away, letting her carry the weight of the rocks alone, as he stepped back into the shadows, watching.

This was not his moment, after all. It was hers.

Finn. She saw Finn. That thought sent a thrill of excitement through her, knowing he was alive, knowing he was better.

Knowing his assailant was on the ship behind her.

This was going to be complicated.

“Rey!” Finn’s voice rang out to her, and she couldn’t help but run to him, fiercely embracing him, her heart pounding in her chest as she felt tears sting her eyes.

“You’re alive!”

“You're ok!”

Rey had never felt so relieved to see her friend as she did in that moment. All the emotions she had experienced, both her own and her shadow’s, flitted away as the reunion with Finn smoothed over the rough frayed edges of her mind. It was the stability she needed in this chaotic spiral into the unknown.

Unfortunately their reunion could not last long. They were out of time.

There was a shuffle of people up the ramp quickly. “How did you find us?” Finn was asking quickly as they filed into the Falcon.

“Leia...” Rey replied, her eyes bright as her gaze shifted from her friend to the regal woman… only to find her slowly walking down the corridor leading towards the rear of the Falcon.

Instinctively, she quietly shut the door in her mind.

Some things were meant to be personal and private.

“Come on… we need to get out of here.” Her eyes snapped over to the unfamiliar man who seemed to have taken charge, guessing who he must be. “Take the controls with Chewie.” Her eyes slid back to Finn. “Help me man the guns.”

“Right.”

The rest of the Resistance refugees conglomerated in the central chamber of the Falcon. All but one.

Her footsteps were quiet on the old deck plating, yet they still rang loudly in his ears. More than that, he could *feel* her. Just as strongly as he had during the battle, even more so. His mind was saturated with her, every one of his senses screaming and crying out so painfully that his vision had started to blur even as he stared at his tightly gripped hands woven between his knees as he sat on an overturned crate in the rear of the cargo bay.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this… He couldn’t…

“Ben…”

He crumbled.

It was fortunate he could feel the connection to Rey was closed in that moment, for the emotions pouring over him had been so contained, so held back that they needed a release, and once they had one, they were unstoppable, like the broken dam holding back a flood, they overwhelmed him and obliterated his resistance.

There had never been a time in his life where had felt so utterly broken. And yet, beyond it all, there was this distant lingering sense of relief.

Relief that it was over.

He was free.

He still had chains that bound him, of that he had no illusion, but the one holding those chains was gone.

He had survived. He had won.

Rey had helped him.

There was no way to judge just how long the two of them sat together, entwined in themselves, tied in a way that stretched beyond words. The heartbreak, the sorrow, the forgiveness, it was all one in the same. Guilt, regret, mourning, relief, hope, repentance. A circle of thoughts and feelings were exchanged which for most would have taken decades, done in mere moments.

Maybe no one else would understand, maybe they didn’t have to. But in that moment, both found peace and purpose.

A shudder of the ship and a whine of engines came with many relieved sighs from it’s occupants.

“Now that’s what I call a rescue.”

Rey couldn’t help but grin as she pulled herself out of the lower gun turret, standing up as Poe Dameron approached, grasping her hand firmly. “Poe.”

“Yeah, I know.” she agreed her grin widening to match his. “Rey.”

“Yeah, I know.” He replied with a smirk, glancing over to Finn as he joined them, embracing her tightly before clapping Poe on the back in congratulations. “How in the world did you find us? We thought… well, nevermind what we thought. We were toast if you hadn’t shown up.”

“Leia.” Rey said emphatically, lifting the binary signal device between her fingers, her eyes roaming around, then darting back towards the rear of the ship where she felt the light tug of the dignified woman’s presence. She could just make out the fringes of Leia’s skirts from the opening of the doorway.“She knew.”

“She always knows.” Poe agreed, running a hand through his hair. “I should just learn to accept it by now. You jedi-types, whole different caliber level of hero stuff, in a whole other way.” His eyes shone wide, obviously impressed with how she had freed them.

But she hadn’t done it alone, Rey knew.

“So what now?”

“Now… we grow.” The sudden quiet words drew everyone’s gaze to Leia as she slowly stepped forward, her hands grasped in front of her, shoulders square, a clear spark lighting her eyes as she approached. “Because we’re not alone any more.”

It took a moment for it to happen. But it did, as it was inevitably bound to.

A quiet shadow stepped out from behind Leia, and stood at her shoulder.

Rey could see immediately the change in his eyes. They were red-rimmed and glistening, but he had managed to clear the tears away, and the gaze that met hers was quiet and calmer than before. With a faint smile, she relaxed her control, and felt his presence wash over her again, calm, collected, quieter.

It seemed he had reached his own peace, as much as he could in the moment.

Naturally, that peace was destined to run into a solid wall of trouble.

“Whoa!” Poe’s voice broke through the din, alarmed, and the sound of his blaster raising. Her eyes darted up to see his face pale in a heartbeat, and confusion written on everyone else's face where the pilot had been so quick to spot just who was standing behind the General.

Finn glanced over, and jolted violently, jumping back two or three steps with that panicked look in his eyes that usually precluded an attempt to run in the other direction. “Rey?!” His voice cracked out in a semi-panicked state, eyes darting from Leia, to Rey, back to the man standing behind them.

“It’s alright, Finn.” Leia was the quiet calm voice of reason here, one hand lifting to stop any rash actions from unfolding before they could be stopped. “Poe, put your weapon down.”

“But General…” Poe protested, his hard gaze never once leaving the object of his loathing, his lips pulling back in a slight grimace, his grip unwavering on his blaster. “....that’s Kylo Ren.”

Now everyone was paying attention. Rey noticed nearly every pair of eyes had locked on to the cross-hilt saber clipped at his belt. It wasn’t as if he was trying to hide his identity, after all.

“No, Poe.” Leia’s voice was calm and quiet. “Kylo Ren is dead. He died aboard that ship with his master.” Her tone left no room for argument, though there was more than a few stares of confusion between them, as her hand moved, shifting to rest on her son’s shoulder. Ben’s eyes lowered, glancing down to his mother, before darting back up and over to Rey. She gave him a quiet smile of encouragement, but didn’t fail to note that there was still hesitation in his emotions.

Apparently he didn’t think Kylo Ren was as dead as his mother did.

Honestly, Rey was a bit inclined to agree with him. But why ruin it for Leia?

Ben seemed to agree, as his eyes lowered again, and he remained silent.

“My son Ben has returned home.” Her hand spread over his shoulder, and squeezed lightly.

It was a touching moment, if nothing else. Too bad it was ruined by the discomfort and unease from the unconvinced stares of everyone else.

Rey’s lips pressed together, and she stepped forward, glancing briefly up at him, but then turning to face the rest. “If we’re going to defeat the First Order, we need all the help we can get. We need to work together. Everyone.”

“But… Rey…” Finn was the first one to speak up, his eyes still wide and staring. “We can’t trust him… He’s one of the *worst* of them!”

“That’s rich, coming from you.” Ben’s deep voice startled everyone, but not as much as the narrowed eyes directed at Finn. “Do you have something to say to my face, FN-2187?”

“It’s Finn!” was the sharp response, as he took a step forward, bristling. “I’m not some mindless drone you can order around anymore, Ren!”

Rey wanted to scream. Instead, she grabbed Ren’s arm and shot him an angry glare.

“Enough! Honestly, you two… This isn’t helping!”

His eyes darted to her, their angry stare intense, but then after a moment, relaxed, and he took a step back, his posture relaxing from it’s confrontational glower.

“Finn.” Rey turned her head back to her friend, her gaze even. “He’s right.” The look of shock and betrayal on his face almost broke her. But the swell of warmth and approval in the back of her mind prodded her forward. “We can’t afford to be picky about allies. And if you turned on the First Order, why can’t he?” She glanced back at Ben, who was watching her with half-parted lips, that vulnerable look on his face that she found so difficult to bear, and so uniquely endearing. “Think about it. You turned away, and if you can, others can too… And now we have one of the First Order’s highest operatives working WITH us!”

A quiet hush had filled the room at her emphatic words, uncertainty and wariness thick around them as everyone tried to process this.

“We can’t trust him…” Finn protested, though his tone was less certain now. “After what he did? To me? To you? To Poe? To HAN?!”

“He killed Snoke.”

Those simple three words were like electricity through the ship. Everyone’s breath held, their eyes snapping over to Ben, who was staring fixedly at a point on the wall that seemed the least obtrusive to stare at. She couldn’t blame him. For a man used to being at the front of an army, he had been far too reliant on masks to be comfortable with people looking at him. Actually looking at him.

“He’s made mistakes.” Leia added in suddenly. “We all have. Some bigger than others.” She watched Ben’s lips tighten in a grimace, but he remained quiet. “But tell me, do you really think we can win against the First Order without taking a few risks along the way?” Her eyes slipped meaningfully over to Poe Dameron, and held there.

Poe stared at Leia for a long time before his gaze shifted back to Ben, holding there for what felt like an eternity. Then, he let out a slow breath, and his weapon deliberately lowered, slow and steady. “.....she’s right. We can’t do this alone. We’re all that’s left.” His eyes darted over to Ben, then to Rey. “I don’t like it. But as I’ve learned lately…” his lips pulled back into a small smile. “...sometimes we have to do things we don’t like, to get ahead in the game.” His gaze hardened, as he held Ben’s gaze, drawing himself upright, as for once, Poe Dameron understood the sacrifices of being a leader.

“We’re the spark… that is going to light a fire that will burn the First Order down.”

Rey’s smile swept over her face, as her eyes shifted to Ben Solo’s, understanding and conviction vibrating through the bond between them.

_Together._

**Author's Note:**

> There. I feel so much better now.


End file.
